Romeo and Juliet
by Cold Canary
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own Riverdale, the characters, or Romeo and Juliet. This is my first Riverdale fanfiction, and the story is supposed to be slightly AU, so if the characters are slightly OOC, please attribute it mostly to the AU-ness of the story, and only partly because I am still getting a feel for how the characters act.
1. Chapter 1

Romeo and Juliet

Chapter 1

 **Summary:** They've compared themselves to Romeo and Juliet, just with a happy ending. But things never go the way that people hope and plan for them to go. And it's never as easy as everyone hopes it will be.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Riverdale, the characters, or Romeo and Juliet. This is my first Riverdale fanfiction, and the story is supposed to be slightly AU, so if the characters are slightly OOC, please attribute it mostly to the AU-ness of the story, and only partly because I am still getting a feel for how the characters act.

Riverdale was not like Verona, Italy. The Jones' and the Coopers' were not the Montagues' and Capulets'. But for Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper, their love, in other ways, resembled that of the famous literary lovers. Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III, born to Forsythe Pendleton "FP" Jones II, leader of the Southside Serpents gang in the Southside of Riverdale. Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper, born to Alice and Hal Cooper. Two very different teenagers, from two very different upbringings. And because of a secretive past of Alice Coopers, very little chance of them interacting. At least, that's what Alice hoped. But life is not something that always works in your favor, and as it would have it, life did not work in Alice Cooper's favor when she tried to keep her youngest daughter away from the young Jones boy. Because in a twisted set of events, Jughead and Betty's paths did cross, but like with Romeo and Juliet, their love story was not one that sailed smoothly, and it wasn't because of constant interference from Alice.

The first meeting between Jughead and Betty was at a dance. Like with Romeo and Juliet's first meeting, it was a masquerade ball, held at Riverdale High School. It was the weekend before Halloween, and Jughead was only there because he had been talked into attending by his best friend, Archie Andrews. Betty, however, was there because she enjoyed dressing up as someone else, even if only for one night, and putting on a mask so that no one would know that it was her. She secretly credited her "dark side", as she would come to call it, for this love of putting on a mask and becoming someone else. Her best friend, Veronica Lodge, was by Betty's side when hers and Betty's eyes simultaneously landed on Jughead and Archie across the room, but when the boys' eyes landed on the girls, everyone else seemed to disappear for Jughead and Betty. Their friends' voices faded away along with everyone else, and the two teens made their way towards each other, not knowing who the other was, but feeling a connection to the other, despite everything else. When Jughead and Betty met in the middle of the dance floor, or at least in the middle point of the distance that had been between them, Jughead held out his hand to Betty, and when she laced her fingers with his, he led her away from everyone else, and to a secluded room outside of the gym where the ball was being held.

Very few words were spoken between the two teens once they had reached the destination that Jughead had in mind, for as soon as they had gotten to the room, and the door had closed behind them, Betty's lips were on Jughead's and Jughead was pulling Betty's body into his. It was Betty's first kiss, but despite that, it didn't hold any of the awkwardness that she had long assumed would accompany a first kiss. It wouldn't be until much later that Betty would find out that it had also been Jughead's first kiss as well. Not long into the kiss, their masks started to cause issues, and so the two teens pulled away from each other briefly to remove them, before mentally planning on moving back in towards each other. But when Jughead caught sight of Betty's blue-green eyes, and the way that the moonlight reflected off her blonde tresses, he halted. The girls at Southside High School were the opposite of Betty. Where Betty was prim and proper in her clothing style, the girls at Jughead's school were more rockesque in style. And it was in this moment that Jughead knew that he preferred Betty to anyone that he went to school with.

"You're beautiful." Jughead murmured as he wrapped one arm lightly around Betty's waist to pull her a bit closer and his other hand came to rest against the side of her neck with his thumb brushing a few stray strands of hair away from her cheek.

"Thank you." Betty replied in a small voice as she tried to look anywhere but at Jughead's piercing eyes or tempting lips.

"There's nothing to be timid about." Jughead commented as he took in Betty's determined gaze constantly darting to and from his face.

"I've never done anything like this before, so I'm not sure what to do." Betty admitted.

"You've never kissed a complete stranger in an empty classroom before? I have to say, that doesn't really surprise me. You don't seem like the kind of girl that would do something like this on a regular basis." Jughead said, his voice filled with teasing humor that brought a smile to Betty's face.

"I've never kissed anyone before... and kissing a stranger has never crossed my mind until tonight. And to confirm... you are still a stranger to me. Clearly you know Archie since you showed up with him, but I don't know you." Betty said as she tentatively brought her arms up to wrap around Jughead's neck.

"How did you know that I showed up with Archie?" Jughead asked, an eyebrow raised.

"A mask does nothing to hide Archie's hair, and he's been my next-door neighbor and one of my best friends since childhood. I would know him anywhere." Betty replied.

"So that would make you Betty Cooper." Jughead said with a look of realization on his face.

"Yes... and you are?" Betty asked, trailing off at the end of her question.

"I go by Jughead, because I want to distance myself from the name my parents gave me. Archie usually calls me Jug." Jughead replied with a smirk.

"Jughead... that's an interesting choice. Is it somehow related to your name?" Betty asked.

"Not at all, but that's why I like it." Jughead said before leaning in and pressing his lips to Betty's in another kiss to stop the conversation... at least for now.

Betty wanted to protest the end of the conversation, but the feel of Jughead's lips against hers, without the hinderance of their masks made her forget her protests. Jughead's lips were soft and warm against hers, and this kiss was slow, and almost meaningful, and it caused Betty to sigh into it, with her body melding into the contours of Jughead's body. At Betty's sigh, Jughead took the opportunity to dart his tongue out to lick along Betty's lower lip, seeking permission to explore her mouth. Somewhere in the back of Betty's mind, there was a voice screaming at her to not let this encounter go any farther than it already had, since she still didn't know anything about this boy, other than his preferred name, but her heart gave in, and gave Jughead the permission that he was seeking. It wasn't much longer after that an interruption came in the form Archie and Veronica bursting into the room, sans their own masks, both looking a bit frantic.

"We gotta go, Jug." Archie said as the door closed behind him and Veronica before glancing over his shoulder out the small window in the door.

"Way to ruin the moment, Arch. But what's the rush?" Jughead asked as he took Betty's hand in his and turned to face his friend.

"The Serpents are here... and so are Betty's parents. If they catch the two of you together, there's going to be trouble." Archie explained.

"I still don't understand why there's so much animosity between my parents and the Serpents. It's not like the Serpents have ever done anything to my parents." Betty said as she leaned into Jughead's side.

"Seriously guys? We aren't kidding. We _**all**_ need to go, now." Veronica said.

"Why do you and Betty need to leave?" Archie asked.

"It would be best if Betty and I head back to the ball, while you get Jughead out of here." Veronica explained.

"What do you think Betty? Do you want to risk our respective families finding us together?" Jughead asked, turning to look at Betty as he pulled her closer.

"Only if you are." Betty said with a smile.

"You two are insane. Betty, let's go." Veronica said as she grabbed her friend's hand and lightly pulling her away from Jughead's embrace.

"I don't want to go, V. I'm perfectly content with staying right here with Jughead." Betty said with a frown.

"Guys, we need to speed this up, the Coopers are heading this way with FP." Archie said as he strode away from the door and back to the others.

"Crap." Jughead muttered.

"What's wrong?" Betty asked.

"If my dad is here, then I really shouldn't be here. You and your friend stay here, Archie and I will sneak out the back way to avoid detection. But I will see you again soon, I promise." Jughead said as he took both of Betty's hands in his, brought them to his lips and kissed them.

And with that, Jughead and Archie were disappearing into the night, just as quickly as they had appeared. But Betty secretly promised herself that she would keep Jughead to his word about seeing her again soon. Now that she had met him, she couldn't imagine her life without him in it. But if there was going to be tension between her parents, and Jughead's father's gang, they were going to have to find ways to see each other without their parents' finding out. As that thought occurred to Betty, she glanced at Veronica and smiled at her friend. Veronica and Archie were going to have to help them out. Sort of like the Nurse and the Friar that helped Romeo and Juliet in the play. But Betty knew that she and Jughead, however similar their lives might be to the star-crossed lovers, her love story with Jughead wasn't going to end in a double suicide.


	2. Chapter 2

Romeo and Juliet

Chapter 2

 _I would like to thank the reviewers of chapter 1 for saying that they thought I did well with writing the characters. It means a lot to me. And as far as whether Betty and/or Jughead will end up dying, I'm not sure just yet. I don't want to kill either of them (or anyone) off, but if that is the way the story ends up going, then I will write it that way._

By the time Alice and Hal Cooper and FP Jones reached the room that Betty and Veronica were standing in, there was no sign that Jughead or Archie were ever there. The girls did a decent job, in their opinion, at making it look like they had stepped away from the ball for some air and some small girl talk. While it seemed that Alice and Hal took the girls' words for truth, at least now, FP seemed skeptical. Betty could feel Jughead's father looking at her closely. It only slightly unsettled her to have the older Jones staring at her so intently, but she now understood where Jughead got his own piercing gaze. After she and Veronica excused themselves from the room, Betty linked her arm with her best friend and headed back to the ball. But at the last second, instead of heading back into the gym, Betty turned to Veronica.

"I need to see Jughead again, Roni. And I'm going to need yours and Archie's help to do so. I know that I just met him, but there's something about him that makes it difficult to stay away; or even want to stay away. Will you help me, V?" Betty asked.

"Of course I will, B. I didn't want to pull you away from him back there. I only did it before your parents could show up and do something worse. And by the way, Archie, amazing kisser." Veronica replied with a wink.

"Not something I needed to know, V. But thank you." Betty said as she pulled Veronica into a hug.

"What are best friends for?" Veronica asked with a small laugh while returning Betty's hug. "And you know what? I'm in the mood for a milkshake. Do you want to head to Pop's before our sleepover?" She asked.

"Always. Besides, we have something to celebrate." Betty said, a twinkle in her eye.

"Wait... you didn't let him...?" Veronica started to ask.

"He was a complete gentleman with where his hands were, but I meant I had my first kiss, and it was magically, V. Also, I don't think I'm ready for much else just yet. But he did use his tongue, and I was in heaven." Betty said with a sigh.

"Okay, we need to get you out of here before your parents overhear you and ground us." Veronica said with a shake of her head, despite the smile on her face, as she led Betty towards the exit.

"Elizabeth."

That single word made both Betty and Veronica halt their steps. It wasn't a mystery on who the person was that the voice belonged to. Only one person ever called Betty by her full name, and that was her mother. And as sad as it was, Betty was sure that everyone in Riverdale knew that Alice Cooper was the only on to ever call Betty by her full name. As the two teenagers turned to face the matriarch of the Cooper family, Betty wished that she hadn't. Her mother looked pissed. But then again, there wasn't many times when Alice Cooper _**didn't**_ look pissed. With a sigh, Betty stepped away from Veronica and took a few steps closer to her mother.

"Yes, mom?" Betty asked with a raised eyebrow the only thing that was out of place on an otherwise innocent face.

"Where are you going? The masquerade isn't over yet." Alice said, her hands on her hips.

"Veronica and I were going to Pop's for milkshakes, and then we were going to head back to the house for our sleepover. We realized after you, dad and that other guy walked into the classroom that we had stepped away from the ball because we were all partied out. So we were just moving up the rest of our plans for tonight up by a little bit." Betty said.

"Your father and I don't want you girls going anywhere alone at night. We'll take you to Pop's and then bring you back to the house." Alice said.

"Mom's it's okay. We've walked from school to Pop's at night before, it's not that far, and we won't be long. You and Dad can just head home. We promise we won't linger after we're done with our milkshakes." Betty stressed.

"Elizabeth, this is not up for discussion." Alice replied sternly. "Either your father and I accompany you to Pop's or you don't go at all." She finished.

"What if we have Archie meet us there? He lives next door, he could walk us home and make sure we stay safe." Betty suggested. She was determined to have her parents just go home.

Alice stared her daughter down. She felt like Betty was hiding something, but Alice couldn't tell what. She really hoped that Betty wasn't turning out to be like Alice had been when she was Betty's age. But then again, how could Betty do anything like what Alice had done. Alice had taken every counter measure possible to prevent her past from touching her daughters' lives, even kept a teenage pregnancy from their knowledge, but the biggest difference that gave Alice peace of mind was that she was raising her daughters away from the Southside of Riverdale. And as far away from the Southside Serpents as she could. There was absolutely no way that Betty could be getting mixed up with the gang, so Alice relented, chalking Betty's behavior up to just normal teenager things.

"Fine, have him meet you there, and he walks you both to our front door. I don't care if he lives next door. Anything could happen if he turns his back as you two walk up to the door. Is that understood?" Alice asked.

"Of course mom. You have our word. Archie will meet us at Pop's and then walk us straight to the front door afterwards." Betty said with a thankful smile as she motioned for Veronica to text Archie.

 **Hey Archie-kins. Meet at Pop's. Bring Jughead. – Roni**

Once the text was sent, Veronica tugged at Betty's arm, and the two teenagers walked away from Alice, who stayed right where she was until the girls were out of her sight. She still had a suspicion that her daughter was hiding something, but for now, she was going to let it go and let Betty live her own life, with as few or as many interferences as Alice could get away with. Once Betty and Veronica were out of sight, Alice turned around and when inside, she needed to have a long overdue chat with FP Jones.

 **Riverdale – R &J – Riverdale**

From the time the boys had left the school, they had been running as fast as they could go to create as much distance between them and the school. The words "plausible deniability" were running through Jughead's mind on a loop. The further away from the school that they were, the less anyone could say that they were even there. After all, Jughead hadn't taken his mask off until he was alone with Betty, and, while Jughead didn't know it, Archie hadn't taken his mask off until he and the brunette girl had slipped out of the gym once the Coopers and Jughead's dad had shown up. Although Jughead hadn't caught the brunette's name, he knew he would find out what it was soon enough. This was a dangerous game that he and Betty had just started playing, and Jughead had a feeling that Archie and the brunette were going to be pivotal in helping Jughead and Betty play.

"Dude, we can stop running now. I'm sure we've put enough distance between us and the school." Jughead said as he came to a stop and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He wasn't out of shape, per se, but he wasn't into sports like Archie was, so he didn't have the same endurance level as Archie did to be able to run great distances.

"Do you think the girls were able to make up a believable lie to trick the adults?" Archie asked.

"I hope so. Because while finally meeting Betty was great, and kissing her was even better, I should never have step foot in Riverdale High School, Arch. I don't belong there. And honestly, I don't deserve Betty. But now that I've experienced a moment with her in my life, I can't live without her. Why didn't you introduce us sooner? And why the hell did you insist on finally introducing us at a masquerade ball of all things?" Jughead asked.

"I'm sorry I have such crap timing, Jug. But at least you got to meet her finally. That's gotta count for something, right?" Archie questioned.

"I'll give it to you this time, but you owe me. FP will never let me date a Northsider, let alone be near one as amazing as Betty... especially since it is Betty that we are talking about. While the Serpents have a certain level of animosity towards the Northside in general, my dad has a higher level of animosity towards Alice Cooper and her family specifically. I think there's some deep, dark, twisted past between FP and Alice." Jughead said.

As Jughead was finishing up his little spiel, Archie's phone dinged, indicating he had a text. At first, he didn't glance at the name of whom the text was from, but once he read the message itself, and saw that it was signed by Veronica, he smiled to himself before looking up at Jughead. Without saying a word, Archie handed his phone to Jughead so that his friend could read the text as well. It took him a few times reading it to fully grasp what was being asked of Archie. Betty and the brunette girl, Roni (Jughead assumed it was most likely a nickname), were going to Pop's instead of staying for the rest of the ball, and they were asking the guys to meet them there. Just the thought of seeing Betty this soon, when he thought he would have to wait until at least tomorrow made Jughead's face light up.

Handing Archie back his phone, Jughead tried to shake away the lightheaded feeling that he was experiencing. He was going to be meeting Betty at Pop's, and it was essentially going to be a double date. Him and Betty, Archie and Roni. Him and Betty. Him and Betty. _'Elizabeth Jones has a nice ring to it.'_ Jughead audibly groaned at that thought. He had only just met the pretty blonde that lived next door to Archie, and already he was thinking about marrying her. Unrealistic expectations. That's what Jughead's night, and thought process, had come to. Unrealistic expectations that after only meeting once, and having some really great (first) kisses, that he and Betty would get married. Jughead seriously doubted that Betty even felt the same way about him that he felt about her, but there was only one way to find out. And that was for him and Archie to meet the girls at Pop's for a milkshake.

By the time Jughead and Archie reached Pop's Chock-Lit Shop and walked inside, Betty and Veronica were already sitting at a booth in the far corner of the diner. Veronica was facing the door, so she saw the guys first, but when she discreetly waved them over, Betty nervously glanced over her shoulder, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. _'Even more handsome in better lighting.'_ Betty thought to herself as she locked eyes with Jughead. As soon as they had each other's gaze held, Betty's lip fell from her teeth, her mouth parting slightly and she suddenly found it difficult to breathe, before giving Jughead the sweetest smile that she could muster.

The second that Jughead slid into the booth next to Betty, his arm went around her shoulders, and Betty scooted closer into his side. Something about being next to each other just felt right... if only their situation wasn't so horrible. And if they weren't going to have to sneak around to be able to see each other. But Jughead wouldn't let his mind go too far down _that_ rabbit hole. Betty was here, snuggled into his side, and they were with their friends. If nothing after this night went the way that he hoped, Jughead would hold on to this moment in time for the rest of his life.

"I didn't think I would get to see you so soon." Jughead whispered into Betty's ear before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"I didn't either. But I'm glad we were able to." Betty whispered back.

"There's no need to whisper, guys." Veronica commented with a smirk.

"There are people who would gladly go running to my parents everywhere, the less they can tell my parents, the better." Betty replied in a low voice.

"With that logic, you shouldn't be curled up into his side with his arm around you, B." Veronica argued.

"I'm not leaving her side until I absolutely have to." Jughead said firmly, pulling Betty even closer into his side.

"Roni is right, guys. If you don't want any of your parents to know that you two are even talking to each other, let alone wrapped around each other in a booth at Pop's, and stealing kisses whenever you can, then maybe we should switch sides, Jug." Archie added in.

"The only other people here, besides Pop, are at the far end of the diner. They can't hear us, and they can't see that I have my arm around Betty, or that she's curled up against my side. We're fine." Jughead argued back.

"Just drop it guys. We don't have a lot of time. Veronica and I promised my mom that we wouldn't linger after finishing our milkshakes, and that we would have Archie walk us back to my house. Let's get our milkshakes and figure out logistics of how this is all going to work later." Betty said.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving. I think I might need a burger and some fries to go with my milkshake." Veronica said with a smile and a twinkle in her eye, earning an appreciative smile from Betty.

"That sounds amazing, Roni." Archie said with a nod of agreement as he signaled Pop that they were ready to order.


End file.
